Suspect in ‘investment fraud’ freed

By Felipe V. Celino

ROXAS CITY, Capiz – One of the alleged prime suspects in a double your money investment scheme was released from the custody of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Capiz.

Agent John Katipunan, NBI-Capiz deputy director, confirmed Friday morning that Cherrie Cartujano alias ‘Madam Cherrie’ of Brgy. Balijuagan, Roxas City was released after posting bail for the estafa charges filed against her.

Katipunan said they filed a large-scale estafa case against Cartujano but it was downgraded to simple estafa after she admitted that her four fellow suspects who were freed earlier had no participation in the investment scam.

He said that Cartujano admitted to them that she had one “boss” or leader in Capiz and another from Iloilo whom she will reveal at the proper time.

Cartujano was one out of 8 persons who allegedly operated an alleged illegal investment scheme or “Double Your Money Investment Scheme”.

But five of them were arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Capiz Provincial Office in an entrapment operation in Pres. Roxas, Capiz Friday afternoon, Dec. 2.

The four other suspects that were released earlier from NBI-Capiz custody were:

-Clarissa Mahipos Dela Cruz, 25, of Corner Apple 1 Valley Golf Rd., Brgy. San Juan, Cainta, Rizal;

-Jennelyn Villaruz Sayson, 29, of Ganzon St., Poblacion Sur, Balasan, Iloilo;

-Neil Adrian Divinagracia Doqueza, 30, of Zone 2, Santo Niño Norte, Iloilo City; and

-Ludy Silvestre Dolor, 27, of Burgos Ilaya St., Roxas City, Capiz.

The entrapment operation was conducted following a complaint from a resident of Batad, Iloilo who invested some P200,000 in the scheme.

The investment scheme has been operating for about one month already and had accumulated an investment amount of about P2 million from its clients.

The NBI Capiz also based their operation on the Letter Request and Intelligence Report from NBI Capiz through AIC-CAPDO (Capiz District Office) regarding the alleged swindling and large-scale estafa activities of the suspects in violation of Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Law, and Republic Act No. 11494 (The Bayanihan To Recover As One Act).

According to the Letter Request that reached the NBI, a certain Miguel Peñalosa, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Global Wealthness Creative Partnership, together with a certain “Doc Galvez” of Asian Finance Trading, and one alias Charry/Cherry/Sara, put up the investment scheme.